Buckle



E. C. ELSNER ETAL Jan. 13, 1959 BUCKLE Filed Jan. 25, 1954' Sheets-Sheet1 3nnentors attorney n- 1959 E. c. ELSNER ETAL BUCKLE 2 Sheets-Shea h 2Filed Jan. 25, 1954 Ill I I 3n v'e ntor s EDWIN C. ELS/VER' EENE'S PRETEJR.

(Ittdmeg United BUCKLE Application January 25, 1954, Serial No. 405,757

Claims. (Cl. 24168) This invention relates to a buckle construction toconnect the ends'of a strap, or to connect the ends of two straps eachseparately secured at their opposite ends, or to connect one strap endto any fixed point.

An object of the present invention is to provide means increasing thestrap-retention power of a buckle.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means, as aboveindicated, that increases the strap-retention power by displacementordistortion of a strap that is releasably connected to the buckle.

' The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that arepositive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a workingposition and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture,relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novelcombinations and arrangements of, parts, which will more fully appear inthe course of the follow ing description. However, the drawings merelyshow and the following description merely describes, preferredembodiments of the present invention, which are given by way ofillustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts inthe several views.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of buckle embodying thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view as taken substantially on line2'2 of Fig. 1. v

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modified form of buckle, with parts thereofin section Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view as takensubstantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view, partly in section, ofanother form of the invention.

Figs. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views of details of the buckle shownin Pig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a further enlarged fragmentary detail sectional View showingthe manner of deformation of the strap or web under high loading.

The buckle that is illustrated is shown as connecting strap ends 5 and6. The same may be the ends of the same strap, or ends of two separatestraps each anchored at their opposite ends. Insofar as this inventionis concerned, strap 5 represents any point of anchorage and may be ahook, eye, etc. I i

It is contemplated that strap 6 may be made as a pliable and readilydeformable woven web. Such a web may be woven of nylon yarn or any othersynthetic yarn of comparable strength. While strong, such a web also isslick and has a tendency to slip unless considerable resistance isemployed to counteract the same.

The buckle that is illustrated comprises, generally, a frame 7, means 8to anchor strap end 5, or a comparable element, to said frame, means 9,transverse of the frame,

' over which a loop or bight Ill of strap 6 is adapted who trained andthe same doubled back to'form a free end 11, and means 12 to grip saidfree end and, thereby, retain the strap 6 in tension.

ice

The frame 7 is shown as comprising side plates 13 that are held inspaced relation not only by a spacer rod 14 but also a shaft 15comprising part of means 8, the

means 9, a shaft 16 and a plate 17 comprising part of means 12; and arod 18 associated with the means 9. The spacing between the plates issuch that the width of web or strap 6 may freely fit therebetween.

The means 8 is shown as a roller 19 on shaft 15, an

eye 20 formed in strap end 5 being trained over said roll-' er and,thereby, being anchored to frame 7.

The means 9, in the form of Figs. 1 and 2, is shown as a cylindricalmember 21 that is provided with a set of transverse grooves 22 thatdefine lands 23 therebetween. The bottom cylindrical faces of saidgrooves are roughened as by knurls 24. The member 21 is fixedly heldbetween side plates 13 in any of the usual ways. In this case, reducedends 25 of said member are provided with at least the flat face 26 andsaid ends fitted said plate 17 and the cam face 28 of member 27. The

bight thus formed terminates in the mentioned free end 11. Tension onthe strap 6 draws cam face 28 into gripping engagement with end 11because the portion of said end engaged by lever 29, seeking tostraighten, engages said lever. The latter is, thereby, urged upwardlyand causes a downward strap-gripping movement of cam face 28.

When there'is comparatively small pull or tension on strap 6, the bight10 therein merely conforms to the outer cylindrical form of fixed member21. Consequently, said strap, made as above indicated, merely slidesover lands 23. Thus, the buckle may be easily threaded in the mannerabove described.

It will be realized that cam face 28 increases its grip on strap end 11as the tension on strap 6 is increased. However, an inordinately strongtension on strap 6 may result in slippage of the gripping means 12 or inrupture of the strap where cam face 28 engages the same. As mentioned,the nylon or comparable web used, while extremely strong, is quite slickand, if member 21 were the usual smooth-faced element, the same wouldoffer but little frictional resistance to slippage of the bight 10 understrong tension on strap6.

The present means 9 is provided to materially increase the friction onthe bight 10 and, thereby, in a large measure reduce the pull of strap 6on the gripping means- 10 is deformed inwardly. In the form of Figs. 3and 4,.

said bight is deformed outwardly. To this end, the member 21 of means 9is provided with a plurality of elements 31 that are'radially disposedin seats 32 and are freely slidable in said seats. Member 21 is formedwith a longitudinal bore 33 into which the inner ends of elements 31 areadapted to enter. The outer, ends of said elements are formed'withconical tips 34 thatare cliametrally larger Thus, the width ofjOrdinarily, any pull on bight willcause retraction of elements 31 andthe member 21 will merely present its cylindrical surface to the bight.When it is desired to increase the frictional engagement between means 9and said bight, a rod or cylindrical bar is introduced into bore 33, andby engaging the inner ends of elements 31,

projects the conical tips 34 thereof beyond the cylindrical face ofmember 21. As shown, said tips deform the web outwardly and produce thedesired friction. U

Entry in bore 33 of rod 35 is facilitated by comically reducing the end36 of said rod and, by retaining the latter captive as by means 37, thesame is always available when use thereof is desired. v v

As shown in both above-described forms of the invention, thecircumferential extent ofthe bight 10 around cylindrical member 21 isincreased by placing rod 18 in such relationship to member 21 that thestrap 6 is offset in a direction toward end 11. Thus, the extent of thebight may be in the nature of 270 of engagement with member 21.

The form of buckle shown in Figs. 5 to 8 is similar to above describedforms except for the construction of the means 9. Also, the strap 5 hasbeen replaced by a hook 38 that is directly and separably connected toshaft 15. 5

Said hook may be connected to a fixed anchor or, as 7 ing a transversemember 40 that is fixed between the frame sides 13 in the same way asdisclosed for member.

21. Said member 40 has a cylindrical surface 41 and a fiat surface 42.However, the cross-sectional form of member 40 may be varied providingthe same has an outer peripheral surface on which one set of annularmembers may revolve, and flats, keyways, etc. that hold a second set ofannular members non-rotational.

According to the invention, there are strung on member 40 two sets ofelements 43 and 44 alternately one with the other, as best seen in Figs.5 and 8. Each element 43 comprises a preferably metallic member having aperipheral edge provided with relatively deep serrations 45 that presenttransverse edges 46. Said element 43 is provided with a hole 41 that hasthe shape of the crosssectional form of member 40. Therefore, element 43is held non-rotational, as can be seen from Fig. 6.

Each element 44 comprises a metallic annulus 48 rotationally fitting on;member 40 and a rubber hoop or band 49 encircling said annulus. Bothannulus and band are preferably the same width and the latter preferablyhas a rectangular cross-section.

jThe diametral size of said band 49 is made to be substantially equal tothe outer size of serrated element 43. Consequently, when the bight '10of strap 6 is trained over the peripheries of elements 43 and 44, asshown, the rubber hoops being uncompressed, prevent the edges 46 ofserrations 45 from biting into said bight, as shown in Fig. 5,and thebight readily slides around the means 9. However, as the pull or forceon strap 6 is increased, the rubber hoops 49 are compressedaccordingly'a'nd, as can be seen' Since the rubber-hooped elements canfully revolve when the strap is unstressed, threading of the buckle isgreatly facilitated. By'prov'iding hoops 49 of a Shore hardness betweenand '75, a's'ubstan-tial increase of stress m'aybe had before said hoopscompress suflicientlyto allow 'th'ese'rrations of elements-43 to grip.Any-desired resistance to slippage of the web may be obtained by varyingthe hardness of therubber hoops.

While we have illustrated and described what we now contemplate to bethe best modes of carrying out our invention, the constructions are, ofcourse, subject to modification without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict theinvention to the particular forms of construction illustrated anddescribed, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scopeof the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim and desire to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a buckle for connecting the ends of a strap, a frame having sidesbetween which said strap ends are disposed, a member spanning betweenthe frame sides and to which one strap end is connected, a second andcylindrical member spanningbetweenthe.frame sides adjacent the firstmember and overwhich the other strap end is; trained in the form of abight that terminates in afree end, said latter strap end beingdeformable, means to releasably clamp said free end to resist pullbetween the strip ends, and circumferentially arranged and transverselyspaced means embodied in said cylindrical member to deform transverselyspaced and circumferential portions of the strap bight outwardly fromthe in-between portions engaged by the cylindrical member, said lattermeans comprising projections on the cylindrical surface of saidcylindrical member, said projections outwardly deforming the strap bighttrained thereover under the mentionedpull.

2. In a buckle for connecting the ends of a strap, a frame having sidesbetween which said strap ends are disposed, a member spanning betweenthe frame sides and to which one strap end is connected, a second andcylindrical member spanning between the frame sides adjacent the firstmember and over which the other strap end is trained in the form of abight that terminates in a free end, said latter strap end beingdeformable, means to releasably clamp said free end to resist pullbetween the trap ends, and circumferentially arranged and transverselyspaced means embodied in said cylindrical member to deform transverselyspaced and circumferential portions of the strap bight outwardly fromthe in-between portions engaged by the cylindrical member, said lattermeans comprising projections on the cylindrical surface of saidcylindrical member, said projections outwardly deforming the strap bighttrained thereover under the mentioned pull, said projections comprisingretractable elements, said cylindrical member having a longitudinalbore, and a member enterable into said bore to project said elements.

3. In a buckle for connecting the two strap ends, at

je'ctions 'on the cylindrical surface of said cylindrical member.

4. In a buckle for connecting two strap .ends, at least one of whichcomprises woven synthetic yarn and is deformable, a cylindrical memberin said buckle over which said deformable strap end is adapted to betrained to form a bight terminating in a free end, means in the buckleto releasably grip said free end against pull in a direction toward thecylindrical member, and circumferentially arranged and transverselyspaced means embodied in 'said' cylindricalmember to deform transverselyspaced circumferential' portions of the mentioned bight outwardly fromthe in-between portions engagedby the cylindrical member, said lattermeans comprising retractable projections on the cylindrical surface ofthe cylindrical member, and means releasably holding said projectionsprojected.

5. In a buckle, a fixed transverse member over which the bight of adeformable strap is adapted to be trained, said member comprising basetransversely spaced circumferential portions, and alternatecircumferentially arranged raised portions, the strap bight, when undertension, conforming to the base and raised portions of the member, andradially arranged means mounting the raised portions for movementbetween a raised position v and a retracted position, and means carriedby the transverse member to raise the mentioned movable portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,324,804 Donason Dec. 16, 1919 1,776,493 Domkee Sept. 23, 19301,820,578 Mosgrove Aug. 25, 1931 1,836,923 Hodge Dec. 15, 1931 2,538,641Elsner Jan. 16, 1951 2,623,732 Morgan Dec. 30, 1952

